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Insects and Spiders - Insects 1

Insects are the most diverse animal group on Earth, and they fill vital roles in habitats. Explore how to recognise insects, where they live, and how their bodies are built.

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Fascinating Fact:

Ants live in organised colonies with different roles, such as workers that gather food and care for the young.

In Specialist Nature, insects are studied through simple identification clues and the jobs they do in ecosystems. Most insects have six legs, a body in three main parts, and often wings, but different groups vary in shape and lifestyle. You might find insects in soil, ponds, woodland, grassland, and gardens, where they pollinate plants, recycle dead material, hunt pests, or become food for birds and mammals. Observing antennae, wing type, mouthparts, and behaviour can help narrow down what you are looking at.

Key Terms

Exoskeleton: A hard outer covering that supports and protects an insect’s body.
Thorax: The middle body section where an insect’s legs and wings are attached.
Metamorphosis: A change in body form during development, such as egg, larva, pupa, then adult in many insects.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

How can you tell if an animal is an insect?

An animal is an insect if it has six legs and a body split into three main sections called the head, thorax and abdomen. Many insects also have antennae, and some have wings, but the six legs and three-part body plan are the key clues.

Why are insects important for the environment?

Insects are important because they pollinate many plants, break down dead material, and help keep food chains working. They are also a major food source for birds, bats, amphibians and other wildlife, so fewer insects can affect whole ecosystems.

What is the difference between an insect and a spider?

Insects have six legs and three main body sections, while spiders have eight legs and two main body sections. Spiders also do not have antennae, and they are arachnids rather than insects.

Try These Related Quizzes

To see a larger image, click on the picture.

1 .

Can you name this insect?

Photograph courtesy of Christian Fischer

Ivy bee

Beautiful Demoiselle

Pale giant horse-fly

Emerald Damselfly

Order: Odonata
Family: Lestidae
Genus: Lestes
Species: L. sponsa
Widespread and common throughout Britain.
Can be spotted on dark, rainy days.
When this species is at rest, the wings are partly spread.
Normally seen near non-flowing water, such as lakes and ponds.

2 .

Can you name this insect?

Photograph courtesy of David Monniaux

Common earwig

Common Hawker

German cockroach

Ladybird

Order: Blattodea
Family: Blattellidae
Genus: Blattella
Species: B. germanica
This species is not native to Britain, but was accidentally introduced.
Can be a pest if they invade buildings.
Is mostly active during night time.
This insect will emit an unpleasant smell if frightened.

3 .

Can you name this insect?

Photograph courtesy of Soebe

European wasp

Common wasp

Hoverfly

Garden bumblebee

Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Vespidae
Genus: Vespula
Species: V. vulgaris
The nest is made up of combs of hexagonal paper cells.
All the workers are female.
Eats flies, aphids and caterpillars, helping control the insect population.
Known as 'jaspers' in some areas of the country.

4 .

Can you name this insect?

Photograph courtesy of Christopher Harriot

Red ant

Carpenter ant

European honey bee

Erratic ant

Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Genus: Solenopsis
A common and widespread insect.
Colonies of up to 300 can be found under stones or paving in the garden.
They will sting and this can be quite painful.
The species prefer sweeter foodstuffs, such as nectar or honeydew.
In late summer males and future queens develop wings in order to mate.

5 .

Can you name this insect?

Photograph courtesy of Fritz Geller-Grimm

Cepero's groundhopper

Stick insect

Lesser water boatman

Yellow meadow ant

Class: Insecta
Superorder: Exopterygota
Order: Phasmatodea
Not native to this country.
However, this species has become naturalised in the last 100 years.
Their locality is restricted to south west England.
Can easily be mistaken for a small branch or twig.

6 .

Can you name this insect?

Photograph courtesy of Piet Spaans

European wool carder bee

Stag beetle

Stick insect

Lesser water boatman

Order: Hemiptera
Family: Corixidae
Genus: Corixa
Species: C. punctata
Very common in ponds and streams.
This species has an unusual anatomy in that every pair of legs is modified in a completely different way.
They swim on their fronts.
In Mexico they are considered a delicacy, where they are harvested and eaten in large numbers!

7 .

Can you name this insect?

Photograph courtesy of Rosenzweig

Speckled bush-cricket

Common Hawker

Golden-ringed Dragonfly

Stag beetle

Order: Odonata
Family: Cordulegastridae
Genus: Cordulegaster
Species: C. boltonii
This species is widespread across most of Britain but favours the north and west.
Their wings are clear, while their big eyes are a bottle green colour.
Strong, agile and rapid flyers.
Fearsome predators - they are capable of taking large insects.

8 .

Can you name this insect?

Photograph courtesy of Richard Bartz

March brown mayfly

Field Cricket

Hawthorn shield bug

Beautiful Demoiselle

Order: Ephemeroptera
Family: Heptageniidae
Genus: Rhithrogena
Species: R. germanica
Unusually for the type, this species emerges as adults at the tail end of winter.
Sacred to anglers and has been copied by them to help catch fish for over 500 years!
Sadly, this species is declining across Europe.

9 .

Can you name this insect?

Photograph courtesy of http://www.micro2macro.net/

European honey bee

German cockroach

March brown mayfly

Lesser earwig

Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Apidae
Genus: Apis
Species: A. mellifera
This insect directs members of its colony to food by 'dancing'.
The movements tell them the location and direction of the food.
Survival of this species has faced severe threats recently.
Royal jelly is a product of this bee and is used as a health benefit.

10 .

Can you name this insect?

Photograph courtesy of Roberto Zanon

Golden ground beetle

Field Cricket

Forest bug

Rhinoceros beetle

Order: Orthoptera
Family: Gryllidae
Genus: Gryllus
Species: Gryllus campestris
One of the rarest insects in the British Isles.
Restricted to the south of England.
Males sing at the entrance to their burrows in order to attract a mate.
Requires short grass and sandy or chalk soil suitable for burrowing.

Author: Sarah Garratty

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